jkmc
02-15 05:03 PM
Hi everyone.
i entered usa on j-1 visa. it expired on october 1, 2007. i got married a little before that - in the first week of september.
in november i filed i-130, i-485 together with AP and EAD. a week ago i received my AP and EAD. as i planned a trip to Europe for 3 weeks to see my parents - my wife consulted a lawyer (a friend of a friend). the lawyer said that i should not leave the country since i have been out of status since october 1st and it is now dangerously close to 6 months and if i leave i can get a 3 year bar and will not be admitted back. my i-130 and i-485 are still pending. my j-1 does not have 2 year rule.
PS. i did use search and didn't find a similar situation. my wife is freaked and i just wanted to hear second opinion from others.
will be very grateful.
thank you.
HI Surge
As far as i have understood , if you have filed your I485 before expiry of your I-94 then you are legal in the country and you can use your AP to travel.
i entered usa on j-1 visa. it expired on october 1, 2007. i got married a little before that - in the first week of september.
in november i filed i-130, i-485 together with AP and EAD. a week ago i received my AP and EAD. as i planned a trip to Europe for 3 weeks to see my parents - my wife consulted a lawyer (a friend of a friend). the lawyer said that i should not leave the country since i have been out of status since october 1st and it is now dangerously close to 6 months and if i leave i can get a 3 year bar and will not be admitted back. my i-130 and i-485 are still pending. my j-1 does not have 2 year rule.
PS. i did use search and didn't find a similar situation. my wife is freaked and i just wanted to hear second opinion from others.
will be very grateful.
thank you.
HI Surge
As far as i have understood , if you have filed your I485 before expiry of your I-94 then you are legal in the country and you can use your AP to travel.
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saveimmigration
12-06 02:22 PM
After seeing so much activism on Dream Act in the news, I think Dream Act deserves to be passed. Recapture does not. We are responsible for it for not doing anything if Dream Act passes. Just Google Dream Act and you will see so much work done on this. Compare it to Recapture bill. Reporters will also write about issues where they see lot of activity. We are simply not doing enough.
DREAM act is a political issue if passed will get Democrats millions and millions of hispanic votes and possibly help them in 2012 election. Republicans will also want those votes. So there is a possibility that DREAM will pass some day. It is unfortunate illegal aliens get path to citizenship and legal immigrants like us have to wait on an untimed line with a hope to get green card. It is all politics my friends. Bottom line is they are illegal when they came here. If they are students they should get F1 visas if they are working should get work permits. Giving them citizenship is ridiculous. No one supports our cause, not even the Hispanic community. Dude we should oppose illegal immigration that has kept legal immigration at hostage. Jai Hind!1
DREAM act is a political issue if passed will get Democrats millions and millions of hispanic votes and possibly help them in 2012 election. Republicans will also want those votes. So there is a possibility that DREAM will pass some day. It is unfortunate illegal aliens get path to citizenship and legal immigrants like us have to wait on an untimed line with a hope to get green card. It is all politics my friends. Bottom line is they are illegal when they came here. If they are students they should get F1 visas if they are working should get work permits. Giving them citizenship is ridiculous. No one supports our cause, not even the Hispanic community. Dude we should oppose illegal immigration that has kept legal immigration at hostage. Jai Hind!1
akhilmahajan
04-11 03:05 PM
We are working on fixing the bugs and will be trying our best to get them fixed as soon as we can.
So, please keep on letting us know about the bugs.
Patience and support is really appreciated.
GO IV GO.
So, please keep on letting us know about the bugs.
Patience and support is really appreciated.
GO IV GO.
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malibuguy007
07-25 07:05 PM
www.ralphehrenpreis.com
He is not cheap, but since my company was paying I didn't bother about the pricing. However the guy is very capable.
He is not cheap, but since my company was paying I didn't bother about the pricing. However the guy is very capable.
more...
chanduv23
09-15 04:35 PM
Bump
mnq1979
09-21 07:38 AM
Hi Guys,
I am in tough spot. I was laid off from my GC sponsoring employer (A) in 2008 and joined another employer B . I did not do a AC21 notification. My dates are current and now I received an RFE to provide employment letter from current employer. The exact words of RFE are as follows:
"Submit a letter of employment attesting to applicant's current employment. This letter should be written on the company's official letterhead, citing the date the applicant began working, if a permanent full time position, the position offered, the position the applicant is currently working and the salary offered. Include corroborating evidence such as recent pay stubs, income tax returns, with all W2s or other evidence as appropriate. "
Now I am not working for original GC employer. I don't have a problem providing above from my current employer B. But whether the EVL should also mention that I am not working for GC sponsoring employer and that my current employers job profile is in same classification as previous based on AC21. Do I mention about the AC21 also in the letter? My current employer's attorneys are not that great but my current employer only wants me to use their own attorney.
Now here is the situation:
I have a job offer from another employer (Employer C) and they are in the middle of doing a H-1 transfer. In fact by tomorrow they will file the H1 paperwork. Now I don't know whether I should provide the letter from my potential new employer C . In that case, I won't be able to provide W2 or pay stubs until I join them. I have an opportunity to use my own attorney here (like murthy, Ron Gothcer..)
OR
should I provide a letter from my current employer using their attorneys and whether or not I should mention about AC21 in the employment letter.
Thanks.
I am sorry i cannot answer ur question because i m not an expert in this broken immigration process but i have a question.
Can you tell if this is ur 1st RFE on I485 or did u receive any prior RFE's also?
Did ur wife also applied for the I485 with you or u applied alone?
thanks
I am in tough spot. I was laid off from my GC sponsoring employer (A) in 2008 and joined another employer B . I did not do a AC21 notification. My dates are current and now I received an RFE to provide employment letter from current employer. The exact words of RFE are as follows:
"Submit a letter of employment attesting to applicant's current employment. This letter should be written on the company's official letterhead, citing the date the applicant began working, if a permanent full time position, the position offered, the position the applicant is currently working and the salary offered. Include corroborating evidence such as recent pay stubs, income tax returns, with all W2s or other evidence as appropriate. "
Now I am not working for original GC employer. I don't have a problem providing above from my current employer B. But whether the EVL should also mention that I am not working for GC sponsoring employer and that my current employers job profile is in same classification as previous based on AC21. Do I mention about the AC21 also in the letter? My current employer's attorneys are not that great but my current employer only wants me to use their own attorney.
Now here is the situation:
I have a job offer from another employer (Employer C) and they are in the middle of doing a H-1 transfer. In fact by tomorrow they will file the H1 paperwork. Now I don't know whether I should provide the letter from my potential new employer C . In that case, I won't be able to provide W2 or pay stubs until I join them. I have an opportunity to use my own attorney here (like murthy, Ron Gothcer..)
OR
should I provide a letter from my current employer using their attorneys and whether or not I should mention about AC21 in the employment letter.
Thanks.
I am sorry i cannot answer ur question because i m not an expert in this broken immigration process but i have a question.
Can you tell if this is ur 1st RFE on I485 or did u receive any prior RFE's also?
Did ur wife also applied for the I485 with you or u applied alone?
thanks
more...
chanduv23
12-24 08:44 PM
This thread has to stay on top
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reachinus
09-26 01:52 PM
I think you are already late. You should have done all you can, like meeting the senator, writing to uscis, infopass appt, as soon as you PD was current. Now the Visa numbers are over for the FY 2010. You may get lucky in October when new visa number are available. Hope this helps.
Hello,
The 485 applications for me and wife are still being processed by USCIS in Los Angeles. My priority date (August 1, 2005) became current almost 3 months ago.
We have waited patiently since the priority date became current. There has been no movement except that they wanted to fingerprint us again, which we completed 2 months ago. My lawyer says he put in two referral inquiries but of no avail.
I have already obtained InfoPass for a couple of weeks from now. I will go and check in with the USCIS office here in LA.
1. What should my next steps be? Write to my senator? Or should I wait until after the InfoPass appointment
2. Am I pushing too hard on USCIS? Is it that they are simply backlogged? Should I just wait more?
I am concerned that the dates will retrogress again. Any advice or comments will be helpful.
Thanks,
SR
Hello,
The 485 applications for me and wife are still being processed by USCIS in Los Angeles. My priority date (August 1, 2005) became current almost 3 months ago.
We have waited patiently since the priority date became current. There has been no movement except that they wanted to fingerprint us again, which we completed 2 months ago. My lawyer says he put in two referral inquiries but of no avail.
I have already obtained InfoPass for a couple of weeks from now. I will go and check in with the USCIS office here in LA.
1. What should my next steps be? Write to my senator? Or should I wait until after the InfoPass appointment
2. Am I pushing too hard on USCIS? Is it that they are simply backlogged? Should I just wait more?
I am concerned that the dates will retrogress again. Any advice or comments will be helpful.
Thanks,
SR
more...
Rinsuper
01-18 03:44 PM
Hi, I am Rina, residing near LA, CA and working close with Niloufer in TX as volunteer. I cant attend meeting, but if you provide me list of ppl to contact on phone, i can inform them abt this meeting.
Let me know how to go about.
Let me know how to go about.
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latejunefiler
07-12 09:28 AM
Singhsa,
Thats a great poem!!
I have made some aesthetic changes to your document and uploaded here.
http://www.geocities.com/latejunefiler/Ghandhigiri.pdf
Thats a great poem!!
I have made some aesthetic changes to your document and uploaded here.
http://www.geocities.com/latejunefiler/Ghandhigiri.pdf
more...
GCEB2
09-20 09:01 PM
Hi... Can any one tell me which are the afforable places in California to buy home. It can be town home or single family homes, Bet 300k to 400k.
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HereIComeGC
11-15 03:18 PM
Nope. Management activities fall into a different job code and you will be breaking AC21 rules by taking up this new role.
If your employer is cooperative and your lawyer is willing write the new job description to fall into the engineering category and not management, you may be OK. But if it is an "awesome" company as you put it, I doubt they will be willing to manipulate your job description.
Anyway, check with them and the lawyer before you give up.
Good luck
No Sir..Management is also included in 15-1031.00 - Computer Software Engineers, Applications. Here is quote from O*Net
"Supervise the work of programmers, technologists and technicians and other engineering and scientific personnel."
Link: http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/15-1031.00
If your employer is cooperative and your lawyer is willing write the new job description to fall into the engineering category and not management, you may be OK. But if it is an "awesome" company as you put it, I doubt they will be willing to manipulate your job description.
Anyway, check with them and the lawyer before you give up.
Good luck
No Sir..Management is also included in 15-1031.00 - Computer Software Engineers, Applications. Here is quote from O*Net
"Supervise the work of programmers, technologists and technicians and other engineering and scientific personnel."
Link: http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/15-1031.00
more...
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rockstart
01-08 12:27 PM
this may help also :-
Alternate Document (http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alternate_document.htm)
Birth Affidavit (http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/birth_affidavit.htm)
Birth Certificate (http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/birth_cert.htm)
Birth Certificates Green Card Permanent Residency (http://www.usabal.com/permres/AOS/birth_cert_info.html)
Thanks patiently_waiting, These are really good links. I have posted these links to IV Wiki as well for future reference. Please add information to Wiki as it can be really useful to folks who are need this info. When you get an RFE you do not have luxory of time and all this info in one place really helps. Thanks once again
Alternate Document (http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alternate_document.htm)
Birth Affidavit (http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/birth_affidavit.htm)
Birth Certificate (http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/birth_cert.htm)
Birth Certificates Green Card Permanent Residency (http://www.usabal.com/permres/AOS/birth_cert_info.html)
Thanks patiently_waiting, These are really good links. I have posted these links to IV Wiki as well for future reference. Please add information to Wiki as it can be really useful to folks who are need this info. When you get an RFE you do not have luxory of time and all this info in one place really helps. Thanks once again
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chanduv23
02-12 01:36 PM
- lazy folks, are NOT just lazy to contribute $$
- many simply just dont know what mess that are into yet
im sure time will teach lessons to those, but no use - it may be too late. they might think about IV - when they have packed their bags and while at the airport, taring their I-94's one last US departure. yeah going for good is what i mean. see you somewhere in india. may be a good subject to talk when we all retire.
I second this. Most people have no clue what kind of mess they got into. Everyone is used to the comforts of life in the US and want to make it their home by any means, but no one understands that life is not easy.
- many simply just dont know what mess that are into yet
im sure time will teach lessons to those, but no use - it may be too late. they might think about IV - when they have packed their bags and while at the airport, taring their I-94's one last US departure. yeah going for good is what i mean. see you somewhere in india. may be a good subject to talk when we all retire.
I second this. Most people have no clue what kind of mess they got into. Everyone is used to the comforts of life in the US and want to make it their home by any means, but no one understands that life is not easy.
more...
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LostInGCProcess
03-02 06:14 PM
Any one who had been through this process , can you please PM me or post attorney reference who is based in NJ .
i greatly appreciate your responses.
Could you PM me the name of the company that is causing so much trouble to you? That way I can be alert and also let my friends know not to join should they come across that company.
I am sorry, I don't know any attorneys that deal with civil cases like non-compete.
Thanks.
i greatly appreciate your responses.
Could you PM me the name of the company that is causing so much trouble to you? That way I can be alert and also let my friends know not to join should they come across that company.
I am sorry, I don't know any attorneys that deal with civil cases like non-compete.
Thanks.
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eyeopeners05@yahoo.com
03-13 10:47 AM
I have a question.
How do I contact my senator ?
I know his phone number in DC but was not sure if I just call him up directly on the phone number or if I do it differently. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
eyeopeners
How do I contact my senator ?
I know his phone number in DC but was not sure if I just call him up directly on the phone number or if I do it differently. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
eyeopeners
more...
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john2255
10-19 03:13 AM
Dear friends,
I entered to US on 5th October 2009 on B1 visa and at POE I was given 3 months duration to stay.
I came here to write physical therapy licensing exam on 8th OCT (same is mentioned as an annotation on my B1 visa) and now I passed the exam and licensed.
Now a hospital is ready to file a H1B work visa for me through premium processing and they want me to start working for them immediately after the approval of H1B.
Other relevant past details are
H1B non cap petition- June 2008
221 g at the consulate for the H1B petition since I didn't had the license.
Hospital withdrew the H1B petition in August 2008.
Dear friends, kindly let me know whether its safe to change the status within 15 days of my entry(its a different hospital). And if not how many days should I delay the filing of H1B. I would like to change the status here without going back to my country for H1B.
And also whether this will have any future adverse effect when I file the immigrant petition. Thank you very much for your valuable advise in advance.John
I entered to US on 5th October 2009 on B1 visa and at POE I was given 3 months duration to stay.
I came here to write physical therapy licensing exam on 8th OCT (same is mentioned as an annotation on my B1 visa) and now I passed the exam and licensed.
Now a hospital is ready to file a H1B work visa for me through premium processing and they want me to start working for them immediately after the approval of H1B.
Other relevant past details are
H1B non cap petition- June 2008
221 g at the consulate for the H1B petition since I didn't had the license.
Hospital withdrew the H1B petition in August 2008.
Dear friends, kindly let me know whether its safe to change the status within 15 days of my entry(its a different hospital). And if not how many days should I delay the filing of H1B. I would like to change the status here without going back to my country for H1B.
And also whether this will have any future adverse effect when I file the immigrant petition. Thank you very much for your valuable advise in advance.John
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Ψ
06-11 08:42 AM
aroound 6 hrs have passed and no comments on the serve
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*i feel, i feel like, i cant explain how i feel like*
*would really love some comments on the art*
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walking_dude
11-25 11:43 PM
Let us not turn it into EB immigrants vs. undocumented fight. They are human beings too, with a dream for better tomorrow just like us.
As long as CIR includes fixes for EB immigration there is no reason to oppose Legalization or the CIR. We the last CIR was opposed by our community not because it had Amnesty, but because it was really bad for EB immigrants due to the short-sightedness or some hard-leftist politicians. If CIR 2007 had pro-EB measures included our community would have supported it CIR or not.
On a personal level, I support legalization as I am opposed to the formation of another underclass. Just like I feel it morally repulsive that Indians, Chinese, legal Mexicans and Phillipinos being denied voting rights for years based on the country of birth, it's equally repulsive that 12 million people will live in this country with no voting rights. (make no istake, most of them aren't going anywhere). It's a mockery of the reason that America broke away from the British Empire - 'No taxation without representation'. (Studies have shown many undocumented immigrants in good paying jobs pay taxes using fake or someone-else's SSN. These taxes add up to millions of dollars every year)
CIR must be defeated. It has no benefits for legal immigrants but only for illegal immigrants. Worksite enforcement must be increased to make it impossible for illegal immigrants to make a living in the USA. If not, USA will become like Mexico and USA will lose it's magnet for attracting the world's best!
The economic basis for CIR is stupid. Illegals can still pay taxes using a TIN number. Most illegals make minimum wage - some might not even fall under the preview of the US tax law.
CIR is only a way for hispanic politicians to gain ground in the US. 90% of US problems are because of illegal immigration. Imagine if we have 15 million illegals legal - now, they are no longer doing jobs tha Americans want to do but they feel (and are probably going get fast track) like they are American citizens and demand non-farm American jobs. The whole cycle is stupid.
As long as CIR includes fixes for EB immigration there is no reason to oppose Legalization or the CIR. We the last CIR was opposed by our community not because it had Amnesty, but because it was really bad for EB immigrants due to the short-sightedness or some hard-leftist politicians. If CIR 2007 had pro-EB measures included our community would have supported it CIR or not.
On a personal level, I support legalization as I am opposed to the formation of another underclass. Just like I feel it morally repulsive that Indians, Chinese, legal Mexicans and Phillipinos being denied voting rights for years based on the country of birth, it's equally repulsive that 12 million people will live in this country with no voting rights. (make no istake, most of them aren't going anywhere). It's a mockery of the reason that America broke away from the British Empire - 'No taxation without representation'. (Studies have shown many undocumented immigrants in good paying jobs pay taxes using fake or someone-else's SSN. These taxes add up to millions of dollars every year)
CIR must be defeated. It has no benefits for legal immigrants but only for illegal immigrants. Worksite enforcement must be increased to make it impossible for illegal immigrants to make a living in the USA. If not, USA will become like Mexico and USA will lose it's magnet for attracting the world's best!
The economic basis for CIR is stupid. Illegals can still pay taxes using a TIN number. Most illegals make minimum wage - some might not even fall under the preview of the US tax law.
CIR is only a way for hispanic politicians to gain ground in the US. 90% of US problems are because of illegal immigration. Imagine if we have 15 million illegals legal - now, they are no longer doing jobs tha Americans want to do but they feel (and are probably going get fast track) like they are American citizens and demand non-farm American jobs. The whole cycle is stupid.
santb1975
12-24 09:33 PM
^^^
purgan
01-22 11:35 AM
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5585.html
The Immigrant Technologist:
Studying Technology Transfer with China
Q&A with: William Kerr and Michael Roberts
Published: January 22, 2007
Author: Michael Roberts
Executive Summary:
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S., and are prime drivers of technology development. Increasingly, however, Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs are staying home to pursue opportunities. Is this a brain drain? Professor William Kerr discusses the phenomena of technology transfer and implications for U.S.-based businesses and policymakers.
The trend of Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs staying home rather than moving to the United States is a trend that potentially offers both harm and opportunity to U.S.-based interests.
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S. and are strong contributors to American technology development. It is in the United States' interest to attract and retain this highly skilled group.
U.S. multinationals are placing larger shares of their R&D into foreign countries, around 15 percent today. U.S.-based ethnic scientists within multinationals help facilitate the operation of these foreign direct investment facilities in their home countries.
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S., and are prime drivers of technology development. Increasingly, however, Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs are staying home to pursue opportunities. Is this a brain drain?
Q: Describe your research and how it relates to what you observed in China.
A: My research focuses on technology transfer through ethnic scientific and entrepreneurial networks. Traditional models of technology diffusion suggest that if you have a great idea, people who are ten feet away from you will learn about that idea first, followed by people who are 100 miles away, and so forth in concentric circles. My research on ethnic networks suggests this channel facilitates faster knowledge transfer and faster adoption of foreign technologies. For example, if the Chinese have a strong presence in the U.S. computer industry, relative to other ethnic groups, then computer technologies diffuse faster to China than elsewhere. This is true even for computer advances made by Americans, as the U.S.-based Chinese increase awareness and tacit knowledge development regarding these advances in their home country.
Q: Is your research relevant to other countries as well?
China is at a tipping point for entrepreneurship on an international scale.A: Yes, I have extended my empirical work to include over thirty industries and nine ethnicities, including Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Hispanic. It is very important to develop a broad sample to quantify correctly the overall importance of these networks. The Silicon Valley Chinese are a very special case, and my work seeks to understand the larger benefit these networks provide throughout the global economy. These macroeconomic findings are important inputs to business and policy circles.
Q: What makes technology transfer happen? Is it entrepreneurial opportunity in the home country, a loyalty to the home country, or government policies that encourage or require people to come home?
A: It's all of those. Surveys of these diasporic communities suggest they aid their home countries through both formal business relationships and informal contacts. Formal mechanisms run the spectrum from direct financial investment in overseas businesses that pursue technology opportunities to facilitating contracts and market awareness. Informal contacts are more frequent�the evidence we have suggests they are at least twice as common�and even more diverse in nature. Ongoing research will allow us to better distinguish these channels. A Beijing scholar we met on the trip, Henry Wang, and I are currently surveying a large population of Chinese entrepreneurs to paint a more comprehensive picture of the micro-underpinnings of this phenomena.
Q: What about multinational corporations? How do they fit into this scenario?
A: One of the strongest trends of globalization is that U.S. multinationals are placing larger shares of their R&D into foreign countries. About 5 percent of U.S.-sponsored R&D was done in foreign countries in the 1980s, and that number is around 15 percent today. We visited Microsoft's R&D center in Beijing to learn more about its R&D efforts and interactions with the U.S. parent. This facility was founded in the late 1990s, and it has already grown to house a third of Microsoft's basic-science R&D researchers. More broadly, HBS assistant professor Fritz Foley and I are working on a research project that has found that U.S.-based ethnic scientists within multinationals like Microsoft help facilitate the operation of these foreign direct investment facilities in their home countries.
Q: Does your research have implications for U.S. policy?
A: One implication concerns immigration levels. It is interesting to note that while immigrants account for about 15 percent of the U.S. working population, they account for almost half of our Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers. Even within the Ph.D. ranks, foreign-born individuals have a disproportionate number of Nobel Prizes, elections to the National Academy of Sciences, patent citations, and so forth. They are a very strong contributor to U.S. technology development, so it is in the United States' interest to attract and retain this highly skilled group. It is one of the easiest policy levers we have to influence our nation's rate of innovation.
Q: Are countries that send their scholars to the United States losing their best and brightest?
A: My research shows that having these immigrant scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers in the United States helps facilitate faster technology transfer from the United States, which in turn aids economic growth and development. This is certainly a positive benefit diasporas bring to their home countries. It is important to note, however, that a number of factors should be considered in the "brain drain" versus "brain gain" debate, for which I do not think there is a clear answer today.
Q: Where does China stand in relation to some of the classic tiger economies that we've seen in the past in terms of technology transfer?
A: Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and similar smaller economies have achieved a full transition from agriculture-based economies to industrialized economies. In those situations, technology transfer increases labor productivity and wages directly. The interesting thing about China and also India is that about half of their populations are still employed in the agricultural sector. In this scenario, technology transfer may lead to faster sector reallocation�workers moving from agriculture to industry�which can weaken wage growth compared with the classic tiger economy example. This is an interesting dynamic we see in China today.
Q: The export growth that technology may engender is only one prong of the mechanism that helps economic development. Does technology also make purely domestic industries more productive?
A: Absolutely. My research shows that countries do increase their exports in industries that receive large technology infusions, but non-exporting industries also benefit from technology gains. Moreover, the technology transfer can raise wages in sectors that do not rely on technology to the extent there is labor mobility across sectors. A hairdresser in the United States, for example, makes more money than a hairdresser in China, and that is due in large part to the wage equilibrium that occurs across occupations and skill categories within an economy. Technology transfer may alter the wage premiums assigned to certain skill sets, for example, increasing the wage gaps between skilled and unskilled workers, but the wage shifts can feed across sectors through labor mobility.
Q: What are the implications for the future?
A: Historically, the United States has been very successful at the retention of foreign-born, Ph.D.-level scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs. As China and India continue to develop, they will become more attractive places to live and to start companies. The returnee pattern may accelerate as foreign infrastructures become more developed for entrepreneurship. This is not going to happen over the next three years, but it is quite likely over the next thirty to fifty years. My current research is exploring how this reverse migration would impact the United States' rate of progress.
About the author
Michael Roberts is a senior lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management unit at Harvard Business School.
The Immigrant Technologist:
Studying Technology Transfer with China
Q&A with: William Kerr and Michael Roberts
Published: January 22, 2007
Author: Michael Roberts
Executive Summary:
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S., and are prime drivers of technology development. Increasingly, however, Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs are staying home to pursue opportunities. Is this a brain drain? Professor William Kerr discusses the phenomena of technology transfer and implications for U.S.-based businesses and policymakers.
The trend of Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs staying home rather than moving to the United States is a trend that potentially offers both harm and opportunity to U.S.-based interests.
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S. and are strong contributors to American technology development. It is in the United States' interest to attract and retain this highly skilled group.
U.S. multinationals are placing larger shares of their R&D into foreign countries, around 15 percent today. U.S.-based ethnic scientists within multinationals help facilitate the operation of these foreign direct investment facilities in their home countries.
Immigrants account for almost half of Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers in the U.S., and are prime drivers of technology development. Increasingly, however, Chinese technologists and entrepreneurs are staying home to pursue opportunities. Is this a brain drain?
Q: Describe your research and how it relates to what you observed in China.
A: My research focuses on technology transfer through ethnic scientific and entrepreneurial networks. Traditional models of technology diffusion suggest that if you have a great idea, people who are ten feet away from you will learn about that idea first, followed by people who are 100 miles away, and so forth in concentric circles. My research on ethnic networks suggests this channel facilitates faster knowledge transfer and faster adoption of foreign technologies. For example, if the Chinese have a strong presence in the U.S. computer industry, relative to other ethnic groups, then computer technologies diffuse faster to China than elsewhere. This is true even for computer advances made by Americans, as the U.S.-based Chinese increase awareness and tacit knowledge development regarding these advances in their home country.
Q: Is your research relevant to other countries as well?
China is at a tipping point for entrepreneurship on an international scale.A: Yes, I have extended my empirical work to include over thirty industries and nine ethnicities, including Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Hispanic. It is very important to develop a broad sample to quantify correctly the overall importance of these networks. The Silicon Valley Chinese are a very special case, and my work seeks to understand the larger benefit these networks provide throughout the global economy. These macroeconomic findings are important inputs to business and policy circles.
Q: What makes technology transfer happen? Is it entrepreneurial opportunity in the home country, a loyalty to the home country, or government policies that encourage or require people to come home?
A: It's all of those. Surveys of these diasporic communities suggest they aid their home countries through both formal business relationships and informal contacts. Formal mechanisms run the spectrum from direct financial investment in overseas businesses that pursue technology opportunities to facilitating contracts and market awareness. Informal contacts are more frequent�the evidence we have suggests they are at least twice as common�and even more diverse in nature. Ongoing research will allow us to better distinguish these channels. A Beijing scholar we met on the trip, Henry Wang, and I are currently surveying a large population of Chinese entrepreneurs to paint a more comprehensive picture of the micro-underpinnings of this phenomena.
Q: What about multinational corporations? How do they fit into this scenario?
A: One of the strongest trends of globalization is that U.S. multinationals are placing larger shares of their R&D into foreign countries. About 5 percent of U.S.-sponsored R&D was done in foreign countries in the 1980s, and that number is around 15 percent today. We visited Microsoft's R&D center in Beijing to learn more about its R&D efforts and interactions with the U.S. parent. This facility was founded in the late 1990s, and it has already grown to house a third of Microsoft's basic-science R&D researchers. More broadly, HBS assistant professor Fritz Foley and I are working on a research project that has found that U.S.-based ethnic scientists within multinationals like Microsoft help facilitate the operation of these foreign direct investment facilities in their home countries.
Q: Does your research have implications for U.S. policy?
A: One implication concerns immigration levels. It is interesting to note that while immigrants account for about 15 percent of the U.S. working population, they account for almost half of our Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers. Even within the Ph.D. ranks, foreign-born individuals have a disproportionate number of Nobel Prizes, elections to the National Academy of Sciences, patent citations, and so forth. They are a very strong contributor to U.S. technology development, so it is in the United States' interest to attract and retain this highly skilled group. It is one of the easiest policy levers we have to influence our nation's rate of innovation.
Q: Are countries that send their scholars to the United States losing their best and brightest?
A: My research shows that having these immigrant scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers in the United States helps facilitate faster technology transfer from the United States, which in turn aids economic growth and development. This is certainly a positive benefit diasporas bring to their home countries. It is important to note, however, that a number of factors should be considered in the "brain drain" versus "brain gain" debate, for which I do not think there is a clear answer today.
Q: Where does China stand in relation to some of the classic tiger economies that we've seen in the past in terms of technology transfer?
A: Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and similar smaller economies have achieved a full transition from agriculture-based economies to industrialized economies. In those situations, technology transfer increases labor productivity and wages directly. The interesting thing about China and also India is that about half of their populations are still employed in the agricultural sector. In this scenario, technology transfer may lead to faster sector reallocation�workers moving from agriculture to industry�which can weaken wage growth compared with the classic tiger economy example. This is an interesting dynamic we see in China today.
Q: The export growth that technology may engender is only one prong of the mechanism that helps economic development. Does technology also make purely domestic industries more productive?
A: Absolutely. My research shows that countries do increase their exports in industries that receive large technology infusions, but non-exporting industries also benefit from technology gains. Moreover, the technology transfer can raise wages in sectors that do not rely on technology to the extent there is labor mobility across sectors. A hairdresser in the United States, for example, makes more money than a hairdresser in China, and that is due in large part to the wage equilibrium that occurs across occupations and skill categories within an economy. Technology transfer may alter the wage premiums assigned to certain skill sets, for example, increasing the wage gaps between skilled and unskilled workers, but the wage shifts can feed across sectors through labor mobility.
Q: What are the implications for the future?
A: Historically, the United States has been very successful at the retention of foreign-born, Ph.D.-level scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs. As China and India continue to develop, they will become more attractive places to live and to start companies. The returnee pattern may accelerate as foreign infrastructures become more developed for entrepreneurship. This is not going to happen over the next three years, but it is quite likely over the next thirty to fifty years. My current research is exploring how this reverse migration would impact the United States' rate of progress.
About the author
Michael Roberts is a senior lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management unit at Harvard Business School.
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